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Republicans seem confused as to whether they should stick to the theme that the economy is still weak — which they've been claiming since President Barack Obama took office, even though the Great Recession was created on their watch — or whether they should acknowledge the obvious sharp improvement in the economy today and somehow take credit for it. The facts here are clear. When Barack Obama took the oath of office in January 2009, the economy was shrinking at an annualized pace of 8 percent — unheard of since the 1930s — and was losing 800,000 jobs per month. The new president dealt with this crisis through the Economic Recovery Act of 2009, which he...

Related "Consumer Confidence" Articles

Republicans seem confused as to whether they should stick to the theme that the economy is still weak — which they've been claiming since President Barack Obama took office, even though the Great Recession was created on their watch — or whether they...

Confidence in the economy and low interest rates contributed to the best January home sales the Baltimore area has seen in eight years, suggesting a strong start to the spring market, analysts and real estate agents said.Showings at open houses this month...

On move-in day at the House Office Building on Jan. 12, freshman Del. Chris West carried in armloads of files. He also carried a bag of M&Ms, imprinted with his campaign slogan, "Go West" a gift from his wife, Anne.
He had seen his name...

Thanks to cheap gas prices and a holiday calendar in which Christmas and New Year's Day both fall late in the work week, more Marylanders are expected to travel this holiday season than in any year on record, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.
About 2.1...

The upward trend in travel seen this year is expected to continue through the end-of-year holiday season, with nearly 100 million Americans expected to travel 50 miles or more between Dec. 23 and Jan. 4, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.
"This year...

Almost all colleges, private or public, have levied a price tag that has grown on average twice as fast as the Consumer Price Index for the last 40 years. This is a larger increase over a longer period than any business or enterprise in the country. At...

Nancy Jones watched happily as the recent decline in gasoline prices helped take the financial sting out of her daily commute from West Baltimore to Turner Station.The 49-year-old health aide will feel a similar relief at the pump when she fills up next...

Lost applications, frozen computer screens and hours spent waiting on hold for help — those consumer problems made up last year's narrative about Maryland's health insurance exchange, the online marketplace launched under the federal Affordable Care Act....

In 2014 it's hard to imagine an economist who is unaware of the concept of inflation or the Consumer Price Index. Yet letter writer and Loyala University of Maryland professor Stephen J.K. Walters still doesn't get it ("Rodricks finds the wrong...

With volatility in the stock market shaking up investors, Jonathan Murray, a financial adviser at UBS Financial Services in Hunt Valley, says people should keep a long-term outlook and accept such corrections as normal.
Murray appears regularly on WBAL...

The Harford County Council voted Thursday night to override a veto of legislation that will increase the base pay of the next county executive from $90,000 annually to $130,000.
It took less than five minutes for the council to convene in a special...

Holiday shopping is expected to be stronger this year than last, with one retail group calling for the biggest gain in three years.
Consumers will spend an estimated $488.6 billion at shopping centers during November and December, a 4 percent sales gain,...

As he had said he would, Harford County Executive David Craig vetoed legislation Tuesday that would raise the salary of his successor and others who hold his office in the future.
In his veto message, Craig called the proposal to raise the executive's...

Visitors trying to shake off a particularly snowy winter and rainy spring could give a boost to Maryland's tourist destinations this summer.
Business owners and tourism officials are seeing signs of a healthy season before the traditional Memorial Day...

Here's a riddle for you: When is a tax cut not a tax cut? Answer: When it happens during a contentious Republican primary race for Anne Arundel County executive.
The current executive, Laura Neuman, proposed her budget for fiscal 2015 last week, and it...

As Maryland prepares for a major overhaul of its troubled health exchange — switching out its buggy software for Connecticut's proven technology — lawmakers and information technology experts are raising new concerns about whether there is enough...

The next Harford County state's attorney will not get the proposed salary increase introduced through legislation during the 2014 General Assembly, which wrapped up Monday night.
The legislation, which was sponsored by southern Harford Sen. Nancy Jacobs,...

It's less than seven days and counting until the 2014 session of the Maryland General Assembly ends at midnight Monday, and the fates of a number of Harford County-centered bills remain to be decided in those waning days.
As of Tuesday afternoon, a...

The Maryland Senate has passed legislation to increase the salary of the Harford County state's attorney. The measure is awaiting action in the House of Delegates.Under the legislation, SB 475, the state's attorney's base salary of $98,500, which has been...